P4G: Hollow End
by ThYu122
Summary: Because of His parents' job, Thomas Narukami was forced to move from New York City to the rural Japanese town of Inaba. Little did he know that his arrival starts a chain reaction. A person is murdered on the day of his arrival, and the key to catching the killer seems to rest in a world inside of the TV, where horrific monsters known as shadows dwell.
1. Chapter 1: Welcome to Inaba

**A/N** **Hello readers!**

 **This fan fiction is based off Persona 4 Golden, and for the most part the story will remain untouched, except for a few additional scenes for the romantic pairings. The biggest change I've made is to make the MC half-American and half-Japaneses. He will have the same canon last name (Narukami), but his first name has been changed to Thomas.**

 **There are going to be 3 pairings in this fic (maybe):**

 **Thomas(x)Marie**

 **Yosuke(x)Chie (maybe)**

 **Kanji(x)Naoto**

 **I know that a lot of people hate Marie, but she's one of my favorite P4 characters, and she is by far my favorite MC ship other than maybe Rise.**

 **So here is the first chapter. I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

"Welcome to the Velvet Room."

...

 _Okay, this is weird._

 _When I fell asleep, I was on a practically empty train headed to the countryside town of Inaba._

 _Now, I'm sitting in the back of a blue limousine with two people sitting across from me; a man and a woman._

 _Oh, I must be having one of those really realistic dreams. Cool!_

The woman looked normal enough, with blonde-white hair and yellow eyes with a blue dress with eight golden rings across the fabric.. A leather-bound book rested on her lap. As I turned to look at the man, I became very confused.

 _What the fuck am I looking at?_

The man had some... Interesting features, to say the least. He had a long, thin nose, pointed ears, and bulging bloodshot eyes.

 _He looks kinda like a goblin._

 _Or maybe a troll..._

 _No, definitely more like a goblin._

The man frowned at me.

"I can assure you I am not a goblin, nor am I a troll." He said as if reading my thoughts.

 _..._

 _Wait, can he read my thoughts?_

"Yes I can, but that is not important." The man said. He cleared his throat and hunched over, resting his elbows on his knees.

"Welcome to the Velvet Room," he repeated politely. "My name is igor, and I am delighted to make your acquaintance."

 _The Velvet Room..?_

 _This is a weird dream._

"What is this place?" I asked.

"This place exist between dream and reality, mind and matter. Only those who are bound by a contract may enter." Igor replied. "It may be that such a fate awaits you in the future."

 _Thanks for the shitty answer, I understand perfectly now!_

"I do not appreciate your sarcasm." He said to me with a sigh.

"Now then... Why don't you introduce yourself?" Igor asked, though I got the impression it was more of a demand then a request.

 _Why do I have to tell this creepy dream troll what my name is? This IS a dream, he should already know._

 _..._

 _Ah, what the hell._

"Thomas Narukami." I said, shrugging.

His face twisted into a crooked smile.

"Well then, Mr. Narukami, why don't we take a look at your future?" He asked, then looked at the woman. "Margaret?"

The woman, who was apparently named Margeret, opened the book resting on her lap. She waved a hand over one of the pages. Suddenly, a group of blue tarot cards floated off the page and begun spinning and floating around each other in a spherical formation.

 _Yep. Definitely the weirdest dream I've ever had._

"Now, let us see what's in store for you, Mr. Narukami."

As Igor spoke he plucked a card out of the air and looked at it.

"A Fool in the upright position." Igor said and threw the card to me. I caught the card and looked at it. It had a simple design, a silhouette of a man wearing a jester hat on a red background.

"A great mystery will be forced upon you soon after you arrive at your destination, and you must work with your new companions to solve it." Igor said, taking the second card.

"A Moon in the downward position." He threw the card in my direction again. I caught it and looked at it.

This card also had a very simple design: a teal crescent moon on a black background.

"A great tragedy will befall you a time after your arrival. It will break your spirit for a time, and will fill your soul with anger and a lust for vengeance."

 _A mystery and a tragedy? What the hell is this old goblin taking about?_

"You'll want to hold on to those cards. They'll play an extremely important role in your upcoming journey." Margaret said as she closed the book.

I looked down at the two cards in my hand, a Fool and a Moon. I slid them into the chest pocket of my jacket.

Igor smiled his crooked smile.."Thank you," he pulled up his sleeve and glanced down at an intricate golden watch on his wrist. He raised an eyebrow as if he were surprised. "It appears your time here is up. You will be called here again soon."

As he spoke, my eyelids became heavy and everything went black.

...

...

"-asoinaba. Welcome to Yasoinaba." I heard over the intercom as my eyes opened. Looking out the window, I noticed that the train had stopped and was resting inside of a small station.

 _Well, I'm here._

I grabbed my carry-on bag and walked to the entrance.

I got to the entrance and began looking for my uncle.

"Thomas!" I heard from the left. I glanced over to see a man with short black hair and a gray shirt. A small girl with brown hair and pigtails stood half-hidden behind him. I walked over to the couple.

 _Wow, he looks really different. Well, I guess that makes sense, I haven't seen him in almost 14 years._

 _And my little cousin here wasn't even alive when I last saw him._

"Wow, you're even more handsome then you are in your picture," the man said kindly. "I'm Ryotaro Dojima..." He said, scratching the back of his head. "Well, let's see... I'm your sisters' younger brother, and that's about it."

I smile and hold out my hand. "It's been a long time, uncle."

"Yeah it has. I haven't seen you since you were in diapers." He shook my hand.

"Now who is this pretty little lady?" I asked, kneeling down in front of the girl I assumed was my cousin.

"Oh, yeah. Thanks for reminding me," Dojima said, stepping back and placing his hand on the girls' head. "Nanako, say hello to your cousin."

 _Nanako. What a pretty name._

She stared at the ground for a moment, tapping her foot nervously.

Finally, she glanced up at me. "...lo'" she said quietly, running back behind Dojima.

"Hahaha, what are you being so shy for?" He asked her, laughing. Nanako punched the back of his leg in response. "Ow!" I smiled at the display of the father-daughter relationship.

 _If nothing else, at least I'm staying with some kind people._

"Come on, our van is this way." Dojima said as he took Nanakos' hand and the two of them walked towards a white minivan. I followed them, and not noticing the girl walking in my direction, I bumped into her.

"Oh, sorry." I said and continued walking.

A few seconds later I heard a voice from behind me.

"You dropped this." The girl said from behind me.

As I turned to face her, I was stunned.

The girl had chin-length black hair and dark green eyes. She wore a white button-up shirt, a small belt, and a plaid skirt with white and black striped socks that went up to her mid thigh. The look on her face was a mix of annoyance and anger.

 _She is, without a doubt, the most unfriendly looking person I've ever met._

I thought for a moment.

 _That being said, she's also probably the most attractive person I've ever met._

As I stated at her she held out her hand. In it was the piece of paper I'd written Dojimas' address on.

"U-um... Thanks." I said quietly, reaching out for the paper.

As I took the paper from her, our hands touched, causing her to quickly pull back.

"d-don't touch me!" She hissed. Her cheeks had turned a light shade of red.

 _What the hell? Is she nervous too?_

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, regaining her composure.

"Why did you thank me? All I did was pick it up..." And then she lost her composure again. Ihateyouyoustupidannoyingcutejerk!"She yelled before turning and rushing into the train station, her face still bright red.

 _Uh... Did I just hear her call me cute while yelling at me?_

 _..._

 _Oh, dammit now I'm blushing!_

"Thomas, you coming?" Dojima yelled from the car, snapping me to attention.

"I'll be right there!" I replied, running to the car.

 **Moel Gas Station**

As we stopped in front of the gas station, an attendant with long gray hair ran up to our car.

"Welcome to Moel!" He said enthusiastically as we all got out of the car. Nanako went to use the bathroom, and Dojima pulled out a pack of cigarettes and walked to the curb.

"Are you a student?" The attendant asked me As he opened up the gas tank and started filling up the car.

"Yeah, I'm going to be starting at Yasogami tomorrow. I just moved here from the States" I replied.

 _Away from everybody I've ever known and cared about._

"America? That's a long move. You're probably going to be bored out of your mind after school unless you hang out with friends or get a job," as he spoke his eyes lit up. "Speaking of which, we're actually looking for part-time help right now, and we don't mind if you're a student. Think about it, okay?" He held out his hand.

"I will." I said nonchalantly, shaking his hand. The attendant smiled before taking out the gas pump.

"I should be getting back to work now. It was nice talking to you." He said, walking back to the store. I put my hands into my pockets and leaned against the van. I glanced around, taking a look at my surroundings.

 _I'm not happy about moving to the other side of the world, but I'll be damned if this isn't a beautiful town._

I stood there looking around, letting my thoughts wander. Eventually they wandered to the girl I met at the train station.

 _Who was she? I've never seen someone so beauti-_

"AGH!" I yelped, placing a hand on my forehead. Suddenly I felt a sharp pain in the front of my head. My vision was starting to become blurry. "What the hell...?"

"Are you okay?" Nanako asked, walking up to me. "You don't look good."

"Don't worry, Nanako. He'll be fine," Dojima said reassuringly as he came back from his smoke. "He's probably just tired... You ARE okay, right?" Dojima looked at me, his eyes filled with worry.

I slowly nodded, the pain in my head beginning to subside. "I think I just need to get some sleep."

Dojima smiled. "Okay, then let's get you home." The three of us got back into the van and we continued our drive.

 **Dojima Residence**

"There's plenty here, so be sure to eat up!" Dojima said gleefully. We were sitting around a small dinner table, and there was a very nice spread of food. In order to make me feel at home, Dojima had prepared me a bacon cheeseburger. "You're going to be staying here for the next year, so try to make yourself at home."

"Thank you for your kindness, uncle." I say with a gracious smile.

He chuckled. "Don't be so formal. As long as you're here, you're family."

"Alright," I said as I picked up the burger.

 _Wow, It smells amazing..._

"Thank you for making burgers. I haven't had the chance to try very many Japanese foods other than sushi, so it's good to eat something I know is good." I said as I took a bite.

 _It tastes amazing too._

"It's no trouble, although I had Nanako help me make them. She's a much better cook than I am." Dojima replied with a laugh, looking at his little daughter.

I looked at Nanako, surprised. "So you're the family cook, huh?" I asked her. "You know, I'm a pretty good cook. If you want, I can help you make dinner sometimes."

Nanakos' eyes lit up and she smiled. "You will?" She asked happily.

"Of course." I smiled.

The three of us dug into the food, making small talk as we ate. Dojima and Nanako mostly ate Jspanese food like sushi and tokayaki. I let Nanako try my burger, and much to her surprise she loved it.

"You know, Thomas, you speak Japanese really well for an American." Dojima said.

"Yeah, well my mother made me learn after I moved to New York. She wanted me to know a second language, and she didn't want to hire a teacher so she taught me Japanese at home."

"That sounds like her. When did you sta-"

 _BEEP BEEP_

Dojimas' phone rang. He pressed a button on the phone and put it up to his ear.

"It's Dojima... Oh, I see," he said, glancing back at me. "Can it wait? I have company... Yeah, I got it. I'll be right there." Dojima sighed.

"I guess I made the right decision skipping the booze tonight. Sorry, but something came up at work and I have to go," Dojima said as he kissed Nanakos' forehead and left.

Nanako stated down at her food, not talking or eating. There was a glimmer of sadness in her eyes.

 _I should probably say something._

"What does your dad do?" I asked her. She raised her head and looked at me.

"He's a detective working for the police department." Nanako replied sadly.

"Is it always like this?"

"Yeah, but it's okay. Now I have someone to keep me company when he's not around." She said and smiled at me.

 _I think my heart just melted. How is my cousin so cute?_

Nanako and I talked for a few more hours, until she got tired. I out her to bed and went up to my room.

As soon as entered the room, I took off my jacket and tossed it onto the chair. I opened up one of the boxes and starred unpacking it.

An hour later i had unpacked two of the twelve boxes. I opened up the third one and yawned.

 _You know what? I'll just unpack tomorrow. I'll have a lot more time after school._

As I closed the third box, I noticed a few objects on the chair, below my jacket.

 _Hmph. They must have fallen out of my jacket._

As I leaned down to pick them up, I notice they looked oddly familiar.

 _Wait, are these..._

My jaw dropped and my eyes went wide.

There were two tarot cards lying face-up on the chair.

One with a silhouette of a man in a jester hat on a red background.

The other a teal crescent moon on a black background.

A Fool and a Moon.

I could hear my heart beating in my chest.

I felt a drop of sweat roll down my cheek.

 _The cards..._

 _How the hell?_

 _Was it...?_

 _Oh my god._

 _My dream, the dream of the 'Velvet Room' was real._

* * *

 **Thank you guys for reading, and please leave a review telling me how I could improve my writing style.**

 **Adios :)**


	2. Chapter 2: First Day

**A/N** **and here is chapter two.**

 **I'm going to try to update the story regularly, at least once (and maybe twice) a week.**

 **Thank you to the people who left reviews of the first chapter, and thank you especially for not being too harsh. I'm not a very good writer, but I'm working to become better.**

 **Same as last time, please leave a review and give recommendations on how I could improve my writing.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Persona 4**

* * *

BEEP BEEP BEE-

I pressed the snooze button on my alarm clock and lazily sat up in my futon. Rubbing my eyes, I looked down at the alarm clock. The time read 7:50

 _Already time to get ready?_

 _Man, the time difference to New York is going to kill me..._

Yawning, I got up and changed into a pair of black slacks and a white button-up shirt. I threw on my Yasogami High jacket and picked up my wristwatch from the desk. As I did I noticed the two tarot cards sitting on my desk. I looked at the closer if the two cards, the Fool, and my mind went back to the dream of the Velvet Room.

 _Is it possible that I had these cards before I went to the Velvet Room?_

 _No, I doubt it. I would remember these cards. There's something about them, some sort of aura. I know I'd never forget about these._

 _..._

 _But that would mean that it wasn't a dream. That would mean the Velvet Room is real, and Igor and Margaret are real, living people._

 _Okay, I still think Igor is some sort of goblin/troll hybrid, but that's not the point._

"Breakfast is ready!" I heard from downstairs, bringing me out of my train of thought.

"Coming!" I yelled , sliding the cards back into my chest pocket and running downstairs. At the bottom of the staircase I was greeted by the delicious aroma of cooked eggs.

 _Wow, something smells good!_

Nanako was in front of the stove holding a spatula. There was a pan on the stove with two eggs cooking in it.

 _Wait... How is she the family cook again? She's barely taller than the oven._

"Good morning." Nanako said as she used the spatula to put the eggs on a plate.

"Morning," I said sitting down. As I did two pieces of toast popped up from the toaster. I took one and began buttering it. "Where's Dojima?"

"Dad's already at work." Nanako replied plainly, although I could see sadness in her eyes.

"Oh..."

 _Okay, need to change the subject._

"Um... so you make breakfast too?" I asked, trying to change the subject.

"I can toast bread and make sunny side up eggs in the morning." Nanako replied proudly, putting the eggs down in front of me. I sliced into into one of the eggs with my fork and took a bite.

 _These are pretty good for being made by a six year old._

"These are good!" I said enthusiastically, taking another bite. Nanako beamed and sat down across from me.

"You have school today, right?" She asked. I nodded as I took another bite of the eggs. "My school is on the way... So let's go together!"

 **Samegawa Flood Plain**

A few minutes later we were walking along the flood plain to school. It was raining heavily. Nanako had her own pink umbrella, but was currently next to me underneath my gray umbrella, and we were having a conversation about TV shows.

"No way! Loveline is much better than the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles." Nanako said defiantly.

 _Tsk tsk tsk. Little one, you need to be educated._

"You're blinded by your love for That show. I Admit it's good, but TMNT is a classic. You can't beat it!" I replied and the two of us began laughing.

"Umm... My school is the other way. Just keep on following this road and take a right at the big gates." Nanako said with a smile, opening up her umbrella.

"Thanks," I said. "I'll see you at home, okay?"

"Okay." Nanako said as she turned around and walked the opposite direction.

"Let's just hope that this isn't like school in New York." I mutter under my breath as I put in my earbuds and shuffled the music on my phone.

 ** _Song: Sweet Dreams- Marilyn Manson_**

 ** _Sweet dreams are made of this,_**

 ** _Who am I to disagree?_**

 ** _I traveled the world and the seven seas,_**

 ** _Everybody's looking for something._**

 ** _Some of them want to use you,_**

 ** _Some of them want to get used by you,_**

 ** _Some of them want to abuse you,_**

 ** _Some of them want to be abused._**

 ** _Hold your head up,  
Keep your head up, movin' on,  
Hold your head up, movin' on,  
Keep your head up, movin' on.  
Hold your head up,  
Keep your head up, movin' on,  
Hold your head up, movin' on,  
Keep your head up, movin' on._**

As the gates of the school came into sight, a boy with light brown hair flew past me on a bike.

His bike was shaky and suddenly, the wheel came off one of its hinges and the bike made a sudden veer to the right.

"Whoaaaa...!" The boy said as his bike crashed into a wall. As he collided, he flew forward and one of the handles hit him straight in the crotch.

 _Ow! That was painful to watch. I can't imagine how he feels right now._

"Ngh... Urrrrghhhh.." He groaned, kneeling down and cupping his groin.

 _I should probably leave him be._

 **Yasogami High School**

As I walked down the hall, I felt several pairs of eyes follow me.

"Who is that?"

I don't know, but whoever he is, he's cute."

Ooh! Could he be the transfer student we've all been hearing so much about?"

"The transfer student is from the states right? Maybe it is him, he looks American."

 _I've been here for less then a minute and people are already talking about me? That bodes well for me._

"Hey dipshit!" I heard from behind me, and all of the voices around me went silent.

I turned to see a short man with a massive overbite and a toupee. He wore a blue pinstriped suit and a yellow tie.

 _Dipshit?_

 _Hmph. He reminds me of my English teacher back in New York._

"Can I help you?" I asked, clenching my fists.

"You're Narukami right?" I nodded. "I thought so. You look like one of those pricks that would come from the states. I'm Morooka, your homeroom teacher. I don't know why, but I hafta introduce you to the class."

As I began following the angry teacher, I heard him grumble something along the lines of: "waste of my damn time..."

We walked up the stairs and he opened a door on the left.

"ALRIGHT SHUT YER TRAPS!" He yelled as we walked into the classroom. Everyone became quiet and sat down as Morooka walked behind his desk and faced the class.

"I'm Kinshiro Morooka, your homeroom teacher from today forward!" Morooka said angrily. "First things first! Just 'cause it's spring doesn't mean you can swoon over each other like love-struck baboons.  
Long as I'm around, you students are going to be pure as the driven snow." He yelled, glaring at one of the students. I recognized him as the guy who crashed his bike earlier this morning. He had his Head down on his desk and was breathing heavily.

 _Poor guy. He must still be recovering._

"Now I hate wasting my time, but I'd better introduce this transfer student," Morooka said bitterly, shooting me a glance. "This sad sack's been thrown out of the U.S. to the middle of nowhere on a different continent like trash. He's just as much of a loser here as he was in America, so none of you girls get any ideas!"

I started laughing. Morooka turned and gave me a death stare. "Really? You're calling me a loser?! You look like a donkey stuck in a dead end job." I said, still laughing. The entire class gasped.

"Did he just talk back to Morooka?"

"Yes. Yes he did."

"I bet you a can of TaP that the transfer student gets slapped."

"You're on!"

Morooka's face turned bright red, and he swung his open hand, trying to slap me. I grabbed his hand mid-swing, brought it down, and shook it.

"Hrnh… That's it, you're on my shit list, effective immediately!" Morooka said getting less then an inch from my face.

 _Urgh... His breath smells like expired milk._

"This town is thousands of miles away from your country of pervs and weirdos, so don't even think about hitting on any of the girls here, much less abusing them!" He said and then he sighed, smoke still puffing out of his ears. "But knowing your kind, you're not going to listen to a word I say." Morooka continued rambling about how terrible of a person I was because I'm part American.

 _God, he's never going to stop talking. Can I just take my seat already, Mr. Jackass?_

Just as he began saying that all Americans are fat pigs that only care about money, a girl with a green jacket and short blonde hair raised her hand.

"Mr. Morooka, can the transfer student sit here?" She asked motioning to the empty desk next to her.

"Huh? Yeah sure. You hear that, punk, Your seat's over there." Morooka said.

 _Aw. He's so nice to me._

I walked over and sat down next to the blonde. Morooka began lecturing us on school procedures and other useless things.

"He's the worst, huh?" The blonde girl asked, leaning over and whispering to me.

"To be honest his insults were a lot kinder with me than his breath was." I replied, causing her to giggle.

"It's pretty rotten luck for you to get stuck in this class. We'll just have to hold out for the rest of the year."

I smiled at her. "Easier said than done."

Throughout Morooka's lecture I heard the other students talking about me.

"I can't believe he just stood up to King Moron like that."

"I know, he's so coo!"

"And he's cute too..."

"I would've bet that Morooka would have tried to slap him even if he hadn't mouthed off."

"Knowing King Moron, you're probably right."

 _King Moron...?_

 _Yep, that sounds about right._

 **After school**

"Alright, be sure to bring all of your supplies to school, you're actually gonna be learnin' shit tomorrow!" Morooka yelled as the bell rang. As students got up to leave a voice came on over the intercom.

 _"All teachers, please report immediately to the Faculty Office for a brief staff meeting. All students must return to their classrooms and are not to leave the school until further notice."_

"You heard the announcement. Don't leave the room, or I'll ensure that you get expelled!" Yelled 'King Moron' as he left the classroom and slammed the door behind him.

"God, I hate him." I heard a female student say after he left. Most of the students began wandering around the room and talking to one another. Two female students came up and started asking me a ton of question, to which I mostly ignored them.

A group of male students had gathered nearby the window and were talking loudly.

"Ugh, I can't see a damn thing. fuckin' fog…"

"Yeah, like every time it rains lately, it gets all foggy."  
"Hey, did you hear? I hear the paparazzi's looking all over for that announcer."  
"Oh yeah. You mean Mayumi Yamano, right?"  
"I heard some guys spotted her at the shopping district."  
"Actually, I heard that…"

One of the students perked up and looked interested. "What, are you serious!?" The student turned and walked over to the girl who sat in front of the blonde. She had black hair and wore a red cardigan over her school uniform.

"Yukiko-Chan, is it true that the Yamano the announcer was staying at your place?" He asked. She looked uncomfortable.

 _Who is this announcer lady? I've been hearing people talk about her all day._

"I-I can't discuss such things." She said quietly.

The boy looked disappointed and went back to his friends at the window.

"Sheesh, how much longer is this gonna take?" The blonde asked as she walked up to the girl with the raven-colored hair.

"There's no telling." The girl replied.

"I shoulda left before the announcement came on…" the blonde said, hanging her head.

Suddenly the same voice came over the intercom again.

 _"There has been an incident inside the school district. Police officers have been dispatched around the School Zone. Please stay calm and contact your parents or guardians as soon as possible, and quickly leave the school grounds. Do not disturb the police officers. Head directly home."_

"Incident?!" A girl near the door asked with fear in her voice.

 **"** What, something actually happenened?" Her friend asked.

 **"** C'mon, let's go take a look!" A third girl said, dragging the other two into the hall.

Both girls that were talking to me gave me their phone numbers and started walking away.

"How does King Moron think he's a loser? He was so nice." One of the girls said.

"And he's hot too. King moron thinks no girl is going to give him a chance, while we're all probably going to be chasing him." The other girl said.

"All that means is that we're gonna have a lot of competition." The first girl replied.

 _Ugh, this again?_

I got up to leave the room.

"Are you going home alone?" I heard from behind me. I turned around to see the blonde and the raven-haired girl. I nodded.

"Why don't you come with us?" The blonde asked. "Oh, I almost forgot. I'm Satonaka Chie. This is Amagi Yukiko."

"Thomas Narukami." I said, bowing slightly.

"I'm sorry, all this is so sudden..." Yukiko said shyly, causing Chie to glare at her.

"Come on, don't apologize like that. It makes me look like I've got no upbringing." Chie said, putting her hands on her hips.

I laughed. "Sure. Let's walk home together." To that Chie smiled and Yukiko nodded slightly.

 _Why is every girl I've met in this town so attractive?!_

As we turned to leave the brunette guy who crashed his bike this morning walked up to us. He was holding a copy of 'Trial of the Dragon', a Kung fu movie from the early 2000s.

 _Pretty good movie, terrible ending._

 _Wait, is that the directors cut with the alternate ending? Oh, there were some really good extra fight scenes, and that new ending..._

 _..._

 _Okay, I watch way too many movies._

"Um.. Chie-chan? It... It was a great movie. The way they moved and everything was really cool," he said nervously. "A-and... I'm sorry! I'll pay you back as soon as I get my next paycheck!" He bowed and handed her the DVD before turning and running. I noticed he was limping slightly _(probably from what happened this morning)._

Chie ran after him. "Wait! What did you do to my DVD?!" She easily caught up to him, and just as he was about to slip out the door Chie got into a martial arts position and kicked him in the groin. I winced as he fell to the ground in pain.

 _And that's twice today. Looks like he's not gonna have any kids._

 _Oh, and note to self: Never piss off Chie_.

Chie gasped at she opened the DVD case. "What?! It's completely shattered!" Chie yelled in despair. "My 'Trial of the Dragon!'"

"Yeah... I think I broke mine, too," said the bleak-looking brunette as he grabbed his crotch in pain. "Critical hit to the nads..."

"Are you okay?" Yukiko asked, kneeling down next to him.

"A-are you worried about me, Yukiko-chan?" The boy asked hopefully.

Chie snorted. "He's fine Yukiko. Let's just go."

And with that the three of us left the room.

 **Outside Yasogami High**

As we were walking past the gates, a guy wearing a different school uniform came and stood in front of Yukiko. He had pitch black eyes and shaggy black hair.

I kept a neutral expression on the outside as best I could, but I was cracking up on the inside.

 _Oh my god, he looks like a fish!_

"Y-you're Yuki, right?" He asked in a raspy voice. "You wanna go somewhere?"

 _Why do I get the feeling this isn't going to end well for him?_

"Wha- who are you?" She asked. At this point a crowd had begun forming around us.

"Well? Are you coming or not?!" The boy asked, louder than the first time.

"I-I'm not going..." Yukiko replied, almost whispering. She was obviously uncomfortable.

 _Well, I saw that coming._

The boy looked stunned.

"WHAT?! Why not?!" He asked, grabbing her wrist. Yukiko tried to pull away, but his grip was too strong. I glanced over at Chie. Her nostrils flared with anger.

"No! You're coming with me wether you li-" he began to say, but he was interrupted by my fist colliding with his jaw.

The boy flew back and landed flat on his ass. Chie looked at me stunned.

"Didn't your parents teach you not to touch a woman without her permission?" I said calmly as I stepped in front of Yukiko. "Are you okay?" I asked her.

"Y-yes." She said with a gulp.

The boys stared up at me, holding his jaw. He sat there for a moment, staring and probably hating me, before he stood up and stumbled away.

I heard people around us talking.

"Did he just attempt the Amagi Challenge?"

"Yes he did. Although I think this is the first time I've seen someone get punched after attempting it."

"Turned down another lovelorn fool, huh Yukiko-chan?" Said the brunette boy as he rode up next to us on his bike. "You got me the same way last year."

 _Not surprised._

"I don't remember that..." Yukiko said quietly.

"Seriously? Than you wanna hang out sometime?" He asked hopefully.

"I-I'm sorry... But no." She said quietly.

 _Not surprised by that either._

"That'll teach me to get my hopes up," the boy said with a sigh. "Hey, try not to pick on the new kid too much." He got up on his bike and rode away.

"We're just curious is all!" Chie yelled after him and the three of us continued walking.

As we left campus and went through the flood plain, Chie bombarded me with questions. I told her that I moved here because of my parents' job and that before that, I'd been moving around the U.S. Since I was a little kid. I was born in Arizona, and then I moved to California, then Utah, Colorado, Iowa, Michigan, Florida, and most recently I'd spent two years in New York.

"Wow! You've lived in a lot of different places." Chie said as we entered the residential district.

"Yeah, it's always been like that." I said, looking at the ground.

 _And it's one of the many reasons I've only ever had two long lasting friends._

 _Well..._

 _One now._

"There really isn't much to do here, is there?" Chie asked, looking over at a corn field to the right of us. "This town must seem pretty lame for a person who's lived in so many places."

I chuckled. "Not really, I actually like it here."

"Really?" Chie asked, surprise in her voice. "The only thing that's really of note here is the stuff from Mt. Yasogami. I think our pottery or dyed clothes are famous or something."

Chie thought for a moment, then snapped her fingers. "Oh, and there's the Amagi Inn. Yukikos' family runs it. It's been in all sorts of magazines as a 'hidden treasure', and Yukiko's gonna be the manager someday!"

"Chie..." Yukiko whined.

"So, you think Yukiko's cute, huh? Come on, be honest!" Chie said, glancing over at Yukiko. She was blushing.

"Chie!"

 _Okay, she wants me to say that Yukiko is cute, which she is, but Chie is just as attractive._

 _Hmm..._

 _She probably wouldn't be expecting me to say this._

"I think you're both cute." I answered honestly.

 _And now they're both blushing. Mission accomplished._

"W-What?!" Chie asked surprised. U-um... Yeah, Yukiko is really popular at school, but she's never had a boyfriend! Can you believe that?"

 _Changing the subject? Just take the compliment!_

"I-it's not true that I'm popular, or that I've never had a boyfriend!" Yukiko stammered. "I mean, well, I haven't had a boyfriend yet, but..."

"Hey, what's that over there?" Chie asked, interrupting Yukiko as we came to the intersection of the road. Police barricades were blocking off the road and there were multiple officers in the street. A small crowd had gathered.

"So that student just left school early and found it?"

"I can believe she found something like _that_ hanging from a TV antenna."

 _That? What are they talking about?_

"I wanted to see it too."

"Well I think it's terrifying. I mean, who would hang a dead body from an antenna like that?!"

 _A dead body...?_

"Whoa-whoa-whoa! Did she just say a dead body?" Chie asked. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Dojina talking to another officer. He glanced over and saw me.

"What are you doing here?" He asked, walking up to us.

"We were one our way home and we happened to pass by." I replied.

Dojima scratched the back of his head. "I shoulda figured that this would happen. Damn that principle, I told him to make sure nobody went this way."

"Do you two know each other?" Chie asked, looking back and forth between Dojima and I.

"Yeah. I'm Dojima, his uncle and guardian," he replied. "I'm not sure how to put this... But please be kind to Thomas. He hasn't had the easiest life."

 _Dojima..._

I glared at Dojima. He looked confused for a moment before realizing that he'd crossed a line mentioning that to a bunch of people I barely knew. He mouthed 'sorry' to me.

Suddenly, a police officer in a suit ran past us and vomited into the bushes on our right. Dojimas' face became angry and he turned to the man.

"Adachi, how much longer are you going to keep acting like a rookie?!" Dojima yelled, stomping his foot in anger. "Do you want to get sent back to the central office?!"

"Nghn... I'm sorry sir." The detective replied, wiping his mouth on his sleeve.

"Hurry up and clean your face, we still have work to do!" Dojima yelled. He turned back to me with a softer expression on his face. "If you don't mind, could you spend some time with Nanako when you get home? I don't want her to be lonely." He looked at the ground.

 _His work must really be putting a lot of strain on him_.

"Sure." I said smiling.

He nodded and he and the other detective walked back behind the barriers.

"Um... Yukiko, maybe we should go to Junes some other time." Chie said, her voice shaky.

 _This must really be freaking her out._

"Yes, I agree." Yukiko replied, nodding her head quickly.

Chie turned to me. "Well, starting tomorrow neighbor, let's do our best!" She said, trying to mask the fear in her voice. I nodded my head in affirmation.

"Okay, we'll see you tomorrow!" Chie said, waving goodbye as she and Yukiko turned around and walked away.

 _First day and I already have friends._

 _Meh. I won't last. It never does._

And with that I resumed walking home.

 **Dojima Residence**

"Dad won't be coming home, will he?" Nanako asked glumly, picking at her food.

"I ran into him on the way home from school, something happened. Dojima has a lot of work to do," I replied, taking a bite of my takoyaki. _(At least I think that's what it's called)_. "If he does come home, it'll be after you go to bed. I'm sorry."

"It's fine. I know how important dads' job is," Nanako replied. "So... How was your first day if school?"

"It was alright, I've already made a few friends," I said, thinking back to Chie and Yukiko. "And a few enemies." I said, thinking to King Moron _(I still love that name)_ and the guy who asked out Yukiko.

Nanako smiled and turned on the TV. "I'm glad."

The TV came on to a news channel.

" _-body found hanging from a TV antenna in the residential district of Inaba. The body was confirmed to be Ms. Mayumi Yamano, a former news anchor who was recently in the news for having an affair with married city council secretary Taro Namatame. The circumstances of the death are currently unknown."_ The newscaster said. " _No information has been released from the Inaba Police department."_

"Th-the Inaba Poloce Department! That's where dad works!" Nanako said, her voice heavy with sadness. The show has a break and an advertisement for a department store came on.

" _At Junes, every day is customer appreciation day,_ " and then a jingle played. " _Every day's great at your Junes!_ "

"Every day's great at your Junes!" Nanako repeated the jingle.

 _Awww!_

"You're a good singer!" A said to her happily.

"I'm the best in my class." Nanako replied, giggling and humming the jingle over and over.

 _She's completely forgotten about the thing with Dojima._

 _..._

 _Dammit, I just realized I still have to finish unpacking._

"Well, I'm going to go upstairs and unpack. I'll see you in the morning." I stood up and started walking up the stairs.

"Good night..." Nanako said with a yawn as I walked up to my room.

I spent the next four hours unpacking all of my boxes and rearranging the room to my liking. After that I went to sleep.

 **The Velvet Room**

...

...

"Welcome back." Igor said as I came to. He was sitting at the other end of the blue limousine.

 _I'm back...?_

I was back in the Velvet Room, sitting in the same spot I was last time. Igor was sitting across from me, but Margaret was nowhere to be found.

"Where is your assistant?" I asked.

"Margaret will be back in a few minutes," Igor replied, tapping his watch. "She is currently in the process of bringing a third resident here to the Velvet Room."

 _A third resident?_

"Who?" I asked.

"A young woman whose destiny is entertained with yours. She will play an important role in the coming year of your life." Igor replied as the door to my right opened.

"Calm down. I've already explained everything to you; why must you be so difficult?" Margaret said as she entered the room, still carrying the large leather bound book.

"...fine," I heard a female say with reluctance in her voice. A girl who looked slightly younger than me, maybe fourteen, came in behind Margaret. "At least don't make me deal with this 'guest' of yours too oft-"As the girls' eyes landed on me she went silent and stared at me. I looked at her, stunned.

 _THAT'S the new resident?_

The girl from the train station stood in front of me. We stared at each other, a look of shock on both of our faces.

"You?!" We said simultaneously, both our voices filled with disbelief. The girl looked away nervously, now focusing on the floor.

 _Is she... Blushing?_

"Ah, yes. I suppose you two have already briefly met," Igor said as Margaret took a seat next to him. "Well, allow me to formally introduce you to each other."

Igor motioned to me. "This is our guest, Thomas Narukami."

He then looked at the girl. "And this is Marie, the newest resident of the Velvet Room."

 _Marie...?_


	3. Chapter 3: I am Thou

**A/N I'm sorry that this chapter isn't very long, I've had a busy week and didn't have a lot of time to write. Nonetheless I hope you enjoy it. I'm introducing an OC this chapter as well as changing my style a bit by adding perspective changes into the story. So the story could switch from Thomas's POV to a different character, or it could change from a third person into a third person perspective.**

 **As usual please rate and leave feedback :)**

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I do not own persona 4. I own Raiden Kowareta.**

* * *

"I still can't believe this place is real." I said to Igor. Marie snorted in derision and put her feet up on the table in front of her and Igor.

 _Hmph._

"Problem?" I asked, glancing at her. She sat next to Igor, her arms crossed. Her face had a look of anger, annoyance, and just general displeasure.

"Nope." She said without any emotion.

"...stupidannoyingtwerp." She muttered, trying not to let me hear her.

"You have a tendancy to mesh your words together, you know that?" I said smirking. "The first time I saw you do it you called me cute." She blushed and stared at me, anger in her eyes.

"Sh-shut up!" She yelled defensively, her face turning even redder. "I hate you!"

 _Ouch. Hit me right in my heart._

"What have I ever done to make you act so rude? We've only met once before, all you could do was blush and stare at the ground." I said. Marie was about to say something, but Igor loudly cleared his throat, drawing our attention to him.

"Well, at least you two have now met formally. That was the main purpose of this visit, so I shall send you back to your own world now." Igor said, waving his hand.

 _Why is Igor the one playing mediator? I thought that would have been Margaret's job._

"Will I be summoned here again soon?" I asked.

"God I hope not..." Marie muttered under her breath. I glared at her.

 _And your poll numbers just keep dropping._

"Within the next few days." Igor replied, ignoring Marie.

"Alright. I'll see you then." I said as Igor snapped his fingers and my eyes closed.

* * *

 **3rd Person POV**

* * *

After Thomas left the room all of the residents were quiet for a few moments, but it was Marie who broke the silence.

"Where did he go?" Marie asked curiously. Igor chuckled.

"Mr. Narukami has gone back to his world. He will be back in a few days, and eventually he will be able to visit us whenever he wishes," He replied, standing up. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have business with our master. I will return shortly." Igor said as he left the room.

"..." Marie said. "Do you know what it's like over there?" Marie asked nervously.

"What? You mean in Thomas's world?" Margaret asked, smirking. "Why don't you ask him to take you take you out there and show you around? I'm sure you wouldn't mind spending some more time with him." She said with a small smile.

Marie looked shocked. "And what's that supposed to mean?!" She asked angrily.

"Well from the way you acted when you first realized that he was our guest and your behavior right before he left, I'd say that you are attracted to him." Margaret said plainly.

Marie's face turned bright red and she stood up. "That's crazy! ihateyouyoustupidjerk!"

"Don't get so defensive, Marie. You're not the first resident of the Velvet Room to become infatuated with one of our guests. The same thing happened with Igors' previous assistant." Margaret calmly replied, opening up her leather book and flipping through it. "You were acting nervous when you first saw him, and you attempted to cover yourself using anger."

"I don't have a crush on him." Marie said. "I don't even know him!"

Margaret sighed. "Whatever you say, Marie."

Marie sat down, fuming. "Do you have any paper?" She asked, an edge in her voice.

Margaret looked at her strangely. "Over there." She said pointing to a drawer. Marie opened the small drawer and took out a piece of paper. She placed the paper on the table and took a pen out of the blue messenger bag strapped over her shoulder.

"Thank you." Marie said sarcastically as she began writing on the paper.

 _"Is that... Poetry?"_ Margaret thought to herself. The title written at the top of the paper read: 'Velvet Heart'.

 _"Fascinating. I'll have to read it when she's not around."_ Margaret thought, closing her eyes to rest.

* * *

 **Thomas POV**

* * *

After I woke up Nanako made breakfast again, but we didn't walk to school together that time.

As I was exiting the flood plain the same brunette boy from yesterday rode past me on his bike. He looked slightly in pain _(probably still recovering from yesterday)_. The wheel that had popped off was repaired, although it looked as if it was just jammed back into place rather than actually fixed.

 _I bet he's going to crash again._

And as I predicted, the wheel broke off again. He veered to the right and crashed into a building. The boy flew off his bike and fell straight into a garbage can, knocking it over.

 _Oh god..._

 _No. Don't laugh._

I took deep breath and walked over to him.

 _I should probably help him up._

I pulled him out of the garbage can and helped him sit up. He was breathing heavily.

"Thanks," he said, looking up at me. "You're Narukami-kun, right? The transfer student?"

"Yeah, but for future reference I just go by Thomas." I replied, reaching my hand out to him.

He took my hand and I pulled him up. "No honorific?" He asked.

"No honorific." I confirmed. He nodded his head.

"I'm Yosuke Hanamura. Nice to meet ya." Yosuke said with a smile.

"It's a pleasure," I said as the two of us began walking together. Yosuke was dragging his bike behind him and holding the wheel that had broken off. "How did your bike get like that?"

"Funny story really. You remember Chie, the short-haired girl with the green jacket from yesterday?" I nodded. "Yeah, well a few months ago I did something to piss her off and she decided to drop kick me while I was riding my bike." He said.

 _Damn. That couldn't have been fun._

I chuckled. "That couldn't have ended well for you."

"Nope. Drove my bike right into a tree," he said bluntly, causing me to laugh. "That's the first time I had to get the bike repaired."

 _Brilliant._

"No offense, but If I were there I would have laughed my ass off." I said, laughing.

"None taken. If I were a bystander and I saw that I would be cracking up." He replied as we walked through the gates of Yasogami High. Yosuke and I went to the bike racks so he could drop off the remnants of his bike, and then we went to class.

"So why don't you just but a new bike?" I asked him as we walked into King Morons' classroom.

"I can't. I'm saving up to but a motorcycle." He replied proudly. I raised my eyebrows at him.

 _A motorcycle? Seriously?_

"It's not a terrible idea, but I'd wait until you know how to ride a normal bike first." I said sarcastically as the two of us sat in our desks.

"Hey!" He said, looking as if he were about to debate, but he just sighed. "...fair enough." Yosuke said as the door opened and King Moron walked in.

"ALRIGHT SIT YER ASSES DOWN!" He yelled as the bell rang. All of the students rushed to their seats and Morooka began his lesson. About halfway through he called on me.

"Narukami! Stop checking out the girl in the corner!" He yelled.

I gave him a confused look. "I wasn't _checking out_ anybody."

He slammed his fist against his desk. "Don't play dumb with me. I saw you ogling her!"

 _Ogling? Who says that?_

"I'm sorry Sensei but that's not possible." I replied calmly.

He looked at me skeptically. "Oh! And why is that?!"

"Because your boring lecture put me to sleep 25 minutes ago," I said with a yawn. "And your whiny-ass yelling just woke me up." The entire class gasped upon hearing my disrespect. King Morons' face turned redder than a tomato.

"That's it Narukami! You just earned yourself detention after school." Morooka said triumphantly. As he continued his lecture I leaned over to Chie.

"Totally worth the extra sleep."

My second day was off to an excellent start.

* * *

 **After School**

 **Mrs. Hammers' room**

 _The person in charge of detention is named Mrs. Hammer? That doesn't bode well._

When I walked into the Detention room, I was surprised to see that it was almost a full classroom. The only open chair was at the back of the classroom, next to an antisocial looking guy with dark green hair. He was wearing brown dress shoes, black slacks, and a gray polo shirt, with his Yasogami jacket tied around his waist. I moved to the back of the room and sat next to him.

"Isn't that the transfer student? It's his second day and he's already in detention?" A student asked as I passed him.

"Yep. I heard he was badmouthing Morooka." Another studend replied as I sat in the desk. The teacher said that she'd be back in an hour, and then she left the room and locked the door behind her.

"So she just locks us in here for an hour?" I asked the green haired guy next to me. He didn't respond. "so what did you do to get detention?"

"..."

 _So you're the quiet type, eh? Alright, than I'll just have to be more persistent._

"You realize I'm not going to leave you alone until you tell me, right?"

"Fighting." He said quietly.

"Seriously? I'm only in her cause' I talked back to Morooka." I said, realizing that he wasn't going to ask me what I did.

He finally looked at me, a blank expression on his face. "You're an idiot."

 _Well, that was rather blunt of him._

"For talking back to Morooka? Everybody wants, I'm just the only one with enough balls to do it." I said.

He groaned, obviously not wanting to talk.

 _Too bad, now I'm determined._

"Not very social, are you?" I asked. He didn't respond.

 _I'll take that as a no._

"I'm Thomas Narukami," I said, extending my hand. "And you are...?" I asked, waiting for an answer. "You DO have a name right?"

He didn't respond for a moment. "...Raiden Kowareta, third year," He finally said, still not shaking my hand.

 _Well this is bloody successful._

I spent the next hour trying to talk to Raiden. Every time I asked him a question, he either didn't respond or he gave a half-assed answer and went back to staring at a wall. Eventually Mrs. Hammer came back and we were free to go. As I exited the class behind Raiden, Chie and Yosuke were outside the door waiting for me.

"Hey Thomas." Yosuke said happily as I left the room.

"What are you two still doing here?" I asked them. I noticed that Raiden was slowly walking away.

"We were just checking out some of the school clubs and we thought we'd swing by and invite you to come have dinner with us," Yosuke said. "It's my treat after helping me out this morning."

"And I'm going with you guys as payback for Yosuke breaking my DVD yesterday!" Chie said, a bit of anger still in her voice. I glanced over my shoulder at Raiden. He was about to start walking down the stairs.

 _I wonder if he'd be interested in going?_

"Sure, I'll go," I said, turning around. "Raiden!" I trotted over to the staircase. Chie and Yosuke followed me, confused.

I caught up to Raiden as he was walking down the stairs, and I ran in front of him to prevent him from ignoring me.

"We're going out to dinner. Do you wanna come with us?" I asked him, motioning back at Chie and Yosuke. He looked at me blankly.

"What are we having?" He immediately asked. I was taken aback by his sudden response.

 _Apparently food gets him talking... Alright, good to know._

"We're getting steak!" Chie said happily.

 _Woah! Calm down Chie, it's just meat._

"...Sure." Raiden said nonchalantly and continued walking.

"Well that was a lot easier than I thought it'd be." I said with a small smile.

"Who is he?" Chie asked as the four of us walked down the stairs. As the four of us left the school and made our way to the large department store called Junes, I told Yosuke and Chie what little I knew about Raiden was and how I met him.

 **Junes Food Court**

"I thought you said you were going to buy us steak!?" Chie exclaimed as Yosuke returned with four large plates of Takoyaki.

"Yeah, will I had to change plans once I learned that I was treating three people." Yosuke said with a sigh as he handed out the Takoyaki and sat down.

"So, why couldn't Yukiko-chan join us?" I asked, taking a bite of one of the Takoyaki balls.

 _This is squid? It's really good!_

"The inn has been really busy, so she's been helping a lot more than usual these past few weeks," Chie replied looking down. "She's been so stressed out recently. I feel bad for her." She sighed.

As Chie spoke Yosuke noticed a girl sitting at a table across from us. "Saki-senpai!" He said happily, getting up and running over to her. I noticed that Raiden also perked up when he saw her.

 _Wow, she's cute._

"Is that Yosuke's girlfriend?" I asked curiously. Chie laughed.

"He wishes." She said. "That's Konishi Saki. She's a third year like you, right Raiden-kun?" Raiden nodded.

After they talked for a moment, Yosuke and Saki came back to the table. "You're the new transfer student, right?" She asked in a soft voice.

"Yeah, Thomas Narukami." I replied.

She smiled and noticed Raiden. "Oh, Rai-chan!" She said, surprised. "Please be kind to Hana-chan. He doesn't have very many friends, so I'm glad to see him branching out," Saki said to Raiden and I as she looked down at her phone. "Oh, I should be getting back to work! It was nice meeting you." She did a small bow and walked away.

"Wait, what about that thing I asked you about?" Yosuke called after her.

"Sounds fun! Let's make plans during my next break." She called back.

Yosuke sat down, a look of triumph on his face. "I just got myself a date next weekend." He said happily.

 _Seriously? Go Yosuke._

"She mentioned having to get back to work. Does she work here?" I asked curiously.

"Yeah, that's how they met. Her family runs the liquor store in the shopping district, but she's working part-time here." Chie replied, finishing her second serving of Takoyaki.

"Hey, where did my Takoyaki go?" Yosuke asked, looking around. His eyes fell on Chie and het TWO empty plates. "Chie..."

"What? You were off making plans so I thought you wouldn't mind." Chie said, reaching over and taking my plate as well.

 _Hey, I was going to eat that!_

Yosuke, Raiden, and I watched in awe as Chie quickly downed the third plate. "Man, this stuff is good! Too bad it isn't more filling." She said with a satisfied look on her face.

"Is she always like this?" Raiden asked under his breath.

"Pretty much." Yosuke replied with a sigh.

"Hmph."

Chie looked up from her plate and noticed the three of us staring at her.

"Aha...ahahaha..." She laughed uneasily. "Umm... Hey, have you guys heard of the midnight channel?" She asked, trying to take the attention off herself. Yosuke facepalmed and Raiden sighed.

"What's the Midnight Channel?" I asked.

"You haven't heard of it?" Chie asked. "Supposedly if you gaze at a switched-off TV at midnight when it's raining, you'll be shown your soul mate."

"Seriously? I thought you were going to say something useful for once." Yosuke said, shaking his head in disappointment.

"Can it, Hanamura. Or do you want a repeat of yesterday?" Chie asked through clenched teeth, causing Yosuke to whimper. "Anyway, it's gonna rain tonight, so let's all watch it!"

 _That could be interesting._

"Okay." I told her. Yosuke gave me a look that said _'are you fucking kidding me?'_

"...Could be interesting." Raiden said with a shrug. Yosuke was taken aback.

"You too?!" He asked with a sigh.

"Come on, Yosuke. It'll be fun!" Chie said in a whiny voice. Then she got a devious smile on her face. "Or do you want me to tell Saki-Senpai about the time you wore a dress to school?"

"WHAT?!" Raider and I asked simultaneously before breaking down laughing.

 _A dress? Oh my fucking God!_

"H-hey, stop laughing! A friend of mine replaced my clothes with a girls' uniform and I had nothing else to wear. It wasn't funny!" Yosuke said, blushing.

I don't know, Yosuke. It sounds pretty funny.

"Soooo...?" Chie asked.

"Fine. You win." Yosuke said, sighing. Chie smiled triumphantly.

"Alright, we'll all watch the Midnight Channel. Agreed?" She asked.

"Agreed." I confirmed. Raider nodded and Yosuke just sighed.

 **Dojima Household**

 _Another dinner alone with Nanako._

"..." She said, looking down at her food. The TV was on, but she wasn't watching it.

She seems even more down than she was yesterday.

"Did your dad call?" I asked.

"No." She replied sadly. "He always says he will, but he never does..."

As she spoke I heard the front door open. Dojima walked in with a tired look on his face and his coat strung over his shoulder. He tossed his coat to the floor and sat down on the couch.

"Dad! You're home!" Nanako said happily.

"Uh-huh..." Dojima mumbled as a news report came on.

"And now, an update in the strange death in Yasoinaba. Yesterday, a high school student stumbled across the body of Miss Mayumi Yamano, a former news anchor who was staying in Inaba. Miss Yamano was found hanging from a television antenna in the residential district of Inaba," the reporter said. "And now, an exclusive interview with the student who discovered the body."

 _Oh god..._

The screen flipped to a girl with light brown hair wearing a Yasogami uniform.

"So you were just walking home and you found the body?"

"Yes."

Did you see anyone suspicious in the area?"

N-no, not really..."

"Do you think it was scary that someone was killed on a foggy day?"

Huh? She was killed?"

"God, lay off her already..." Dijoma said with a sigh. Even though I thought her face was blurred out and her voice was changed, I thought I recognized her.

 _She looks a little like Saki Konishi..._

The interview with the girl ended and a Junes commercial came on.

"At Junes, every day is customer appreciation day." Nanako perked up.

"Every day's great at your Junes!" Nanako sang along with the jingle, giggling. "Dad, can we go to Junes soon?"

"Zzzzz..." Dojima snored.

 _He fell asleep on the couch? I mean, not that I blame him. It IS a comfortable couch._

Nanako groaned and I stood up and put a blanket over Dojima.

"Try not to hold it against him. From everything I've seen on the news he's had a lot to deal with at work," I said.

"I know..." Nanako said with a sigh.

"But it still sucks?" I asked her.

"Yeah..." She nodded.

 _Poor girl..._

"Well I'm going to bed," I said as I turned to leave, when an idea popped into my head. "Hey, Nanako. Next time I have some free time, let's go to Junes."

She lit up. "You really want to? Okay!" She replied happily, a big smile on her face.

"Goodnight!" I said.

"See you tomorrow." Nanako replied with a yawn as I went up to my room.

After saying goodnight to Nanako I did my homework and changed into a white sweatshirt and gray pajama bottoms. I then spent a few hours texting a friend of mine from Utah.

As I was texting my friend, I heard a quiet drumming noise and looked out the window.

 _It's raining..._

 _Oh wait, what time is it?_

My clock read 11:59. I said goodbye to my friend and stood in front of the TV.

 _Tick_

 _Tock_

 _Tick_

 _Tock_

 _12:00._

 _..._

 _..._

 _Just as I thought. Nothing._

As I turned to sit down I heard static and my room got slightly brighter. I turned back around and looked at the TV.

What the hell?

The TV had turned on. The image was blurry, but I could see the figure of a girl who looked like she was writhing in pain. As blurry as it was I could see tell that she was wearing a short black skirt and a gray blazer.

 _Is that a Yasogami high uniform?_

Suddenly I felt a sharp pain pulsing through my head and I became dizzy. A hollow voice echoed in my head.

 ** _I am thou,_**

 ** _Thou art I,_**

 ** _Thou art the one who will open the door._**

I put a hand to my throbbing head and stumbled forward. I would have fallen to the floor, but I put my other hand out to catch myself. For a split second my hand landed on the TV screen, before it went into the TV.

 _The TV..._

 _My hand is inside the TV?!_

I was about to pull my hand out, but something grabbed me and pulled me even father in. The rest of my arm, my head, and some of my chest was pulled into the TV.

I frantically looked around, trying to see what was grabbing me, but I couldn't see anyone.

 _I need to get out of here._

I pushed my other arm against the wall of my bedroom in an attempt to get out of the TV. Suddenly whatever was holding onto me let go and I flew back out of the TV. I fell back and slammed my head against the coffee table.

"SON OF A BITCH!" I yelled in English, clutching the back of my head in pain.

"Are you okay?" I heard a tiny voice ask from outside my door.

 _Nanako?_

"D-did I wake you up?" I asked her, feeling bad about how loud I was.

"Yeah, but it's fine..." Nanako said drowsily. "Well, goodnight." And Nanako went back into her room. Suddenly the TV turned off.

I sat there on floor for a few moments thinking about what had just happened.

 _The others aren't going to believe this._


End file.
